American Philharmonic Mourns Loss of Key Volunteer

May 19, 2010

There is sad news to report about a very important member of the American Philharmonic family. Kurt Ackerman, a professional photographer who provided us with the majority of our orchestra's website and publicity photos, died suddenly of a heart attack on Saturday, May 15, 2010. He was 56 years old and is survived by his 20-year-old daughter Amber Rose from his first marriage, his wife Denise, and their 4-year-old daughter, Gianna.

A frequent contributor to the New York Times and one of the most sought-after portrait and wedding photographers on the West coast, Kurt was so moved by the American Philharmonic's performances and mission that for the last ten years he has donated all photography of our concerts to us. This historical archive is a priceless gift that would not have been financially possible without Kurt's generosity.

While Kurt was a master at being completely invisible in the concert hall and therefore unknown to most audiences and even orchestra musicians, his images have been essential to the professional and public growth of American Philharmonic. His beautiful, spirited, and emotional photographs have been used in the upgrading of our website, in creating graphic art for our programs and postcards, and in successful grant proposals that have earned American Philharmonic thousands of dollars in support over the years.

Kurt will be remembered by his family and friends as an extremely generous man who was highly passionate about life and gave 100% to everything that he did. He drew his inspiration from any activity that empowered and uplifted the human spirit. When Kurt was not taking photographs, he enjoyed composing and playing rock music, spending time with his family, and cooking gourmet food for anyone who dropped by.

In February of 2000, Kurt was instrumental in making American Philharmonic's first performance of The Planets possible by producing a 45-minute, multi-media show to accompany the orchestra. This show was artistically provocative, controversial, extraordinarily beautiful, and put American Philharmonic (then the Cotati Philharmonic) on the map in our community. At the 10th anniversary of this landmark, we now dedicate our May 2010 performance of The Planets to Kurt's memory. He will be greatly missed.